In the context of Unified Communication offered as a Service, a communication solution is implemented by a Cloud Service Provider (CSP). Basically a Communication solution for corporate environment consists of network equipment such as communication servers (telephony servers) and terminals including softphones (desktop phones, mobile phones) and hardphones (called also deskphones). The communication servers may provide a variety of advanced services. All this network equipment operates together and need to be configured. In case of mass deployment of terminals, the configuration procedure consists of an automatic downloading of a configuration file from a repository server, which may be part of the communication servers or provided separately.
A key point to address in the cloud environment described above relates to enabling the user terminal to learn the Configuration Repository Server address, especially when it is started for the first time in the network environment.
Several existing solutions can be considered for that purpose.
1/A first solution, referred to as Pre-configuration of terminals by the terminal vendor or by the CSP, consists in loading into the terminal the CSP address where the terminal will find its configuration file. This operation is done before the terminal is shipped to the end user. The end user then has to plug the terminal that directly connects to the right CSP address, e.g. a configuration server. Typically, the terminal may require the user to input some identification information so that the device is authorized on the configuration server.
If such pre-configuration is performed by the equipment vendor before terminals are shipped to the CSP or CSP end customers, a specific step has to be implemented by the vendor in the manufacturing process for devices that will be deployed by any CSP. The vendor has to track each CSP business projections to finely manage inventory of devices for each CSP. If such pre-configuration is performed by the CSP, a specific procedure for customizing devices must be implemented by the CSP, requiring financial and human resources for training, logistics and infrastructure.
In summary, this first solution requires costly operations before the terminals can be delivered to the end customer, and highly impacts the operational and logistical expenses for the service provider or equipment vendor.
2/A second solution, referred to as Vendor Central Server Tracking every deployed device, consists in the equipment vendor implementing a central server accessible on the Internet and delivering the configuration for all the vendor's terminals deployed by various customers. However, this solution implies high operational costs for the vendors to maintain the database of all deployed terminals, typically by tracking MAC addresses of all shipped terminals, and to keep customers' related parameters up to date. It also implies that the vendor remains closely involved throughout the service life of terminals. This second solution is deployed by SNOM Technology AG, a company incorporated in Germany.
3/A third solution consists in relying on DHCP, e.g. as disclosed in EP-A2-1418733. Using DHCP to provide the Configuration Repository server URL is a possibility that requires configuring the DHCP server of the network where the terminal will be installed, so that the DHCP server delivers a specific DHCP option containing the server location. However, this solution requires that the user or the CSP has control over the DHCP server of the end user network. Consequently, this is irrelevant for a lot of use cases:                When the user terminal is deployed in a network where the DHCP server is not manageable by the CSP, e.g. the home network of a user.        Not applicable if several terminals of different CSP, or different Application Servers of the same CSP, are deployed on the same network and therefore served by the same DHCP server.        
In addition, DHCP servers are complex enough, so that it is typically not acceptable to rely on the end-user to configure DHCP services.
4/A fourth solution consists in Manual configuration. The manual configuration of the Configuration Repository Server URL on the terminal by the end user typically requires highly available helpdesk services, which involve operating costs. Besides, it proves impractical on simple terminals having only a numeric keypad.
US-A-2010030875 discloses a method and system for remote device management. A central auto-configuration server manager accesses a first database which comprises IP address information of manageable electronic devices that are allowed to access the service of auto-configuration server manager, a second database which comprises information that associates the identity of the service provider with the IP address of the manageable electronic device, and a third database which comprises information that associates the IP address of the dedicated auto-configuration server with the IP address of the manageable electronic device or with the identity of the service provider.